_149.jpg) Williams with theNorth Carolina Courage in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ryan Emilie Williams[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1996-02-23)February 23, 1996 (age 29)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Centennial, Colorado, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||
| Position | Right back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | North Carolina Courage | ||
| Number | 13 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Colorado Rush | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2017 | TCU Horned Frogs | 80 | (1) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018– | North Carolina Courage | 113 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of November 2, 2025 | |||
Ryan Emilie Williams (born February 23, 1996) is an American professionalsoccer player who plays as aright back for theNorth Carolina Courage of theNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Williams playedcollege soccer for theTCU Horned Frogs and was drafted by the Courage with the final pick of the2018 NWSL College Draft. She won twoNWSL Shields and twoNWSL Championships as a reserve player with the Courage before establishing herself as a starter in 2022. She has also won twoNWSL Challenge Cups with the team. She was named in theNWSL Best XI Second Team in 2024.
Williams was born inCentennial, Colorado, one of six children born to Charles and Lisa Williams.[2][3] She began playing soccer at four years old,[4] and she played club soccer forECNL teamColorado Rush.[5] She attendedCherry Creek High School, where she won the 5Astate championship as a sophomore in 2012.[3][6] As a four-yearletterwinner coming out of high school, she was ranked 16th regionally byTopDrawerSoccer.[3]
Williams made 80 appearances (79 starts) during four years with theTCU Horns Frogs.[3] She was converted from midfielder todefender in college and named to theBig 12 Conference All-Newcomer Team after making 19 appearances (18 starts) as a freshman in 2014.[4][7] She provided a team-high 5 assists in 19 games in her sophomore season in 2015.[3] TCU lost in the opening round of theBig 12 tournament in her first two seasons.[8][9] Williams made 2 assists in 20 starts in her junior season in 2016, missing one game.[3] She helped TCU reach the final of theBig 12 tournament, where they lost toWest Virginia 3–2 in overtime.[10] TCU nevertheless qualified for theNCAA tournament for the first time in school history, falling toTexas A&M 1–0 in the first round.[11][12]
Williams recorded a career-high six assists in 22 games in her senior season in 2017.[3] In theBig 12 tournament, she made herpenalty kicks in back-to-back shootout victories overKansas and West Virginia.[13][14] Head coachEric Bell placed Williams as the fifth penalty taker "because we know she's got ice water in her veins".[14] In the Big 12 championship game, Williams scored the only goal of her college career, with the help of a penalty, in a 2–1 loss toBaylor.[15] TCU again qualified for theNCAA tournament, where they fell 2–1 toArizona in the first round.[16][17] Williams received All-Big 12 first-team honors at the end of the season.[18]
Williams was drafted by theNorth Carolina Courage with the 40th and final pick of the2018 NWSL College Draft, becoming the first player from TCU to be drafted into the NWSL.[19] She was signed to anational team replacement contract on May 31, 2018.[20] Williams made her professional debut on June 3, coming on forJaelene Hinkle late in a 1–1 draw against theHouston Dash.[21] She was waived two weeks later but signed again the next month as a national team replacement.[22][23] She appeared in two games at the exhibition2018 Women's International Champions Cup, making her first start for the Courage in a 1–0 win over French clubLyon in the final.[24][25] She was unused for the rest of the season,[26] and the Courage went on to win theNWSL Shield andChampionship, defeating thePortland Thorns 3–0 in thetitle game.[27]
Williams agreed to a new contract ahead of the 2019 season but was moved to asupplemental spot on the final roster.[28][29] Williams made her first NWSL start on June 1, winning 3–0 against theOrlando Pride on June 1.[30] She played her first full match in a 2–1 win at theWashington Spirit on June 29.[31] However, after 4 appearances (3 starts), she was listed out with injury for the rest of the season.[32] North Carolina went on to win their second consecutive NWSL Shield and Championship, defeating theChicago Red Stars 4–0 in thetitle game.[33][34] Williams's contract option was exercised at the end of the season.[35]
When the 2020 season was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Williams and her roommateCari Roccaro prepared training videos for their teammates to followfrom a safe distance.[36][37] A new month-long tournament, theChallenge Cup, was announced in place of the beginning of the regular season.[38] Williams started in one Challenge Cup match, a 1–0 win over the Chicago Red Stars on July 5.[39] She also started 4 games of theFall Series, recording her first professional assist, toLynn Williams, in a 4–1 loss to the Houston Dash on October 4.[40][41] After the season, she signed a one-year contract with an option to extend for an additional year.[40]
Williams appeared in 17 games (2 starts) for the Courage in the 2021 regular season as they finished fifth in the standings.[42] She also appeared in 4 games (1 start) in theNWSL Challenge Cup. She made her playoff debut in the closing minutes of the Courage's 1–0 quarterfinal loss to the eventual champions Washington Spirit.[43]
Williams appeared in 3 games off the bench during the2022 NWSL Challenge Cup ahead of the regular season.[44] She was an unused substitute in theChallenge Cup final, which the Courage won 2–1 against the Washington Spirit.[45] She finished the 2022 regular season with 3 assists in 18 appearances (10 starts) as the Courage placed 7th of 12 teams, missing the playoffs.[46]
Williams started all 8 games in the2023 NWSL Challenge Cup, playing the full match in a 2–0 victory overRacing Louisville inthe final.[47][48] She started all 22 games and made 2 assists in the regular season as the Courage finished in third place. In the playoffs, she played every minute of their first-round 2–0 loss to eventual championsNJ/NY Gotham FC.[49]
Williams received twoyellow cards and was sent off on June 8, 2024, with her second card givingSophia Smith a penalty that led to a 1–0 away loss to the Portland Thorns.[50] She finished the regular season with 25 starts and 2,237 minutes played, with just her red card and one-match suspension keeping her from aniron woman season.[51] She ranked top two in the league in multiple defensive metrics, including tackles, challenges, and interceptions, and ranked first in attempted passes.[52][53][54] North Carolina finished the regular season in fifth place, losing 1–0 to theKansas City Current in the playoff quarterfinals.[55] Williams signed a contract extension near the end of the season, keeping her with the club through 2027.[56] She was named to theNWSL Best XI Second Team at the end of the season.[57]
Williams scored her first professional goal—in the eighth season of her career—on April 26, 2025, and also assistedAshley Sanchez's stoppage-time winner as the Courage came back twice to win 3–2 against the previously unbeatenKansas City Current, the Courage's first win of the year.[58] Head coachSean Nahas had recently refashioned the defense into a back three which allowed Williams to contribute to the attack more freely.[59] On June 21, Williams marked her 100th regular-season appearance with a 2–1 win over the Houston Dash.[60] She was even closer to an iron woman season in 2025, missing only four minutes in one game the entire season.[61]
Williams was called up byEmma Hayes to camp with theUnited States national team in January 2025, her first national team call-up at any level.[62]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Playoffs[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| North Carolina Courage | 2018 | NWSL | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| 2020 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 4[c] | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||||
| 2021 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 22 | 0 | |||
| 2022 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 | ||||
| 2023 | 22 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | |||
| 2024 | 25 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 4[d] | 0 | 30 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 87 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 114 | 0 | ||
North Carolina Courage
Individual
